CALVIN Oftana was too focused in the final play of TNT against San Miguel he hardly noticed June Mar Fajardo wasn't on the floor in the final 13 seconds of their PBA Governors' Cup game on Sunday night.
“Hindi ko rin napansin,” said the sophomore big man. “Naka-focus kasi ako sa play namin.”
The end result had Oftana crashing the offensive rebound against Rodney Brondial and scoring on a putback for a 105-103 Tropang Giga win at the Philsports Arena.
READ: Oftana's putback at the buzzer lifts TNT past SMB
The former NCAA MVP out of San Beda had 14 points and 10 rebounds, including two off offensive boards, the last of which came in the final two seconds of the highly-charged game.
The Tropang Giga outrebounded the Beermen, 49-47, including 16-9 on the offensive end.
And all along Oftana thought Fajardo was behind him when he collared the all-important rebound.
“Akala ko nga nasa likod ko si June Mar nung nag-rebound ako,” he said.
Of course, there was no Fajardo.
With the six-time MVP nursing foul trouble, coach Jorge Gallent opted to substitute the 6-foot-11 center for Brondial and the game very much on the line.
His decision came shortly after Fajardo scored on a quick layup with 63 seconds to play that tied the game at 100-all.
Asked if he was surprised Fajardo was not on the floor on the most crucial play of the game, TNT coach Jojo Lastimosa opted to play
coy.
“June Mar can grab all the rebounds underneath the basket. But Calvin is still 6-foot-5 who can jump,” said Lastimosa. “Again, I just want to say he was just in the right place, at the right time.”
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